Silicon IC contacts using composite TiN barrier layer

• US 5,972,179 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell Semiconductor, LLC (Hilco Inc. (d/b/a Hilco Global))
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chittipeddi, Sailesh, Merchant, Sailesh Mansinh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raghuveer, Brinda
• Application Number:
  US08/941,556
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 438/627, 438/648, 438/643, 438/653, 438/656, 438/679, 438/680, 204/192.25, 204/192.15, 204/192.17, 427/535, 427/539, 427/576, 427/255.1, 427/255.2, 427/255.3, 427/252
• US Class Current: 204/192.17
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/046 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0641 Nitrides C23C14/0617 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76843 formed in openings in a dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76856 by treatment in plasmas or gaseous environments, e.g. nitriding a refractory metal liner

Abstract

The specification describes a composite TiN barrier layer structure formed by depositing a first TiN layer by CVD to obtain good step coverage, followed by a second TiN layer formed by PVD to obtain uniform surface morphology for subsequent deposition of an aluminum alloy contact layer. Alternatively, uniform TiN layer morphology is obtained by depositing multiple CVD TiN layers as a series of thin strata, and passivating after each deposition step to fully crystallize each stratum thereby obtaining a uniformly crystallized barrier layer.

Claims

1. Process for the manufacture of silicon integrated circuits wherein at least one aluminum alloy contact is made to a silicon surface, the process comprising the steps of:

a. depositing a layer of titanium on said silicon surface,

b. depositing a first layer of TiN by chemical vapor deposition on the layer of titanium,

c. depositing a second layer of TiN on first layer of TiN said second layer of TiN deposited by sputtering, and

d. depositing a layer comprising aluminum on said second layer of TiN.

2. The process of claim 1 in which the thickness of layers b and c is in the range 80-1000 Angstroms.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the first layer of TiN has a thickness in the range 30-400 Angstroms.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the second layer of TiN has a thickness in the range 50-600 Angstroms.

5. The process of claim 1 in which the aluminum alloy is Al with 0.5-2 wt % Si.

6. The process of claim 1 in which the first layer of TiN is formed using a precursor selected from the group consisting of TDMAT and TDEAT.

7. The process of claim 1 including the additional step of treating said first layer of TiN in a nitrogen plasma prior to the deposition of the second layer of TiN.

8. The process of claim 1 including the additional step of exposing the first layer of TiN to a plasma comprising oxygen to form a layer of titanium oxynitride.

9. The process of claim 1 in which steps a, b, and c are carried out sequentially in the same apparatus.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the layer comprising aluminum is deposited by sputtering.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein steps b and c are repeated at least once.